The Zoo is a light comic Opera by Arthur Sullivan, the composer of such hit shows as HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. This is hard to believe. You can see why this one-act comic opera, which only lasted a few short runs at its premier, was the last one he wrote on his own for 15 years, instead partnering up with WS Gilbert to form the famous duo Gilbert and Sullivan.Despite the best intentions and obvious enthusiasm of the cast, the show was utterly bizarre. There seemed no obvious reason for it to be set in a zoo; the animals were hardly referred to or utilised other than for one character to hide inside a panda costume and a penguin to occasionally waddle on stage and off again for no real reason.To add to this theme of the inexplicable, the director had made the decision that all the props should be knitted. Glasses, bow ties, prescription pads, food: all knitted. Although the skill of the knitter in question was very impressive, it was just a bit distracting.A redeeming factor of the show was the excellent operatic voices of the entire cast. The harmonies were brilliantly executed and every note was hit with perfection. However, this obvious talent in itself jarred with the otherwise very amateur performance; the leading man at one point forgetting his lyrics and giving a panicked look in the direction of his prompter. What was really lacking was any truth behind the words, making it hard to feel much sorrow over the parting of the main lovers. In addition, the blocking felt unnatural - perhaps partly due to the very small stage and a relatively large cast.An exception to all this was Judith Barron, giving a very believable and fun performance as Eliza Smith, the refreshment stall girl. She did not attempt the faux-Italian operatic accent the rest of the cast put on, and the clarity that this gave her let the humour of her lyrics reach the willing audience.It was a shame that a cast of such talented singers with so much enthusiasm and energy could not pull off this show. If they could find the truth behind their words, have a bit more confidence in their performance and perhaps even have picked a better opera, they would really be able to show off their obvious talents.
